I attended a notorious congregation as a child, THE INFAMOUS WINTER GARDENS CONGREGATION! My cousin and his best friend, both named Joe, were elders, my cousin was the PO and the other Joe was a total loser suck up who wanted to be just like my cousin, Joe. What was even funnier, as I get off point a bit, is that "suck up" Joe's wife, Cathy, did everything she could do to get her pudgy lil self to dress, look, walk, and talk like my cousin Joe's wife, Clementine. It was sooooo gay. ((vomits))
Anyway, my aunt-fanatical-Esther had brought my mother into the organization in around 68. We all attended this lil congregation called Winter Gardens where so many unChristian things were going on that the younger people in the congregation who caught wind of various scandals would actually greet eachother in the Kingdom Hall by shaking hands warmly and firmly, smiling, and saying just above a wisper, "hello brother fornicator" or "hi there sister adultery". I thought it was the norm at one point and (I was 9) I once innocently responded to an elder's greeting with, "hello brother masturbator". He glared at me and went to have a chat with my mom . . .
My aunt Esther was a closet wino and would often get drunk and occasionally go running down the street screaming and making a scene in front of the worldly neighbors, bringing reproach upon Jehovah's name. She once came over to our house and beat the crap out of my mom who had just arrived home from the hospital from a total hysterectomy. She use to chase me (when I would come to visit) and my cousins around the house with what ever she could get her hands on, beating us and screaming at us because we were either watching a TV program or listening to a 45 record that was "DEMONIZED"! Everything to her was "demonized". She practically ran my mom, and she pressured my two oldest brothers when they were just 12 and thirteen to get baptized. The poor boys were disfellowshipped and set as cast-outs by the time they were 13 and 14. It devastated them. She always got away with it because Joe PO was her son-in-law and Clementine was her daughter. Ester could do whatever she pleased because lovely Clementine and the two Joes smoothed things over and covered her hypocracy.
The Winter Gardens congregation became so "spiritually sick" that the Governing Body had it completely desolved. I use to just think it was my family that was really messed up and hypocritical. I use to think that every other Witness was truly good and perfect and righteous . . . but alas . . . the one elder I had looked up to as a boy is now dead, but before he died it came to light that he had not only been smoking for years while an elder, but was also having an xtramarital affair for a number of years while his wife spent 60 hours in service each month.
I could just keep going but I want to save some stuff for my analyst so that I can feel my money is well spent.
Best Regards,
Hunyadi